Author: Zealus

Categories
PR

Yours Truly, Marketing Department

Manhattan Mini Storage Ad This morning I discovered a new ad from Manhattan Mini Storage in subway cars. Yep, the guys who put that “huge ass in a fishnet stockings” banner over the FDR Drive. The new ad is a very logical way of continuing advertising campaign – at least from my perspective. The ad in the subway is a bit different from the one on their site (the picture on your left). The difference is minor, yet very entertaining. The subway ad (which I couldn’t take a picture of) features the URL for web site to vote on, slightly different message and signature “Marketing Department” on a pink post-it note.

Now to the simplicity and te brilliance of the move. As a small business entrepreneur without any specific marketing skills I always try to learn from the environment that surrounds me. New York City, in this sense, is a perfect environment that allows me to see both good and bad marketing during a simple one-hour trip to work (or back home). Why do I think this ad is brilliant? Because the series of previous ads was controversial, because it got people talking about them and now it get the message out that you can simply go and voice your opinion. In simpler terms, it created traffic to company’s web site. No matter how one vote – he visits the site and, obviously, spends some time there. The company’s image is again reinforced in the consumer’s memory. Company gets feedback for ad campaing. In addition to that, old ads a reviewed and reused (which by itself is another great move, something like reusing old blog posts). By the way, you can even download all campaign ads in a single .zip file to review or share with those, who missed them.

Categories
PR

Apple tries to make it right

As GigaOM writes (linking to Steve Job’s statement on Apple’s web site):

Now there’s a way to annoy the people who have stuck by the company through thick and thin. Today, realizing that Apple’s goodwill was at risk, Jobs announced a $100 credit to all early iPhone buyers, promising to do the right thing.

I see this as another marketing trick targeted specifically at Apple fans. They WOULD use this credit one way or another. As a different example, myself – the iPhone is the first product by Apple I have purchased in my entire life (and not even for myself), such credit is absolutely and perfectly useless.

Good thing I bought mine less then a week ago.

Categories
windows

Windows Live Installer is going to the computer near you.

TechCrunch is reporting on the evil empire Microsoft releasing Windows Live Installer Suite with whole bunch of goodies (full list available here). Citing NYTimes, that called the release a “Netscape-Level event” TechCrunch boldly disagrees saying that MS isn’t offering anything compelling to users.

So was the case with Netscape. Internet Explorer was much worse by the time it was released. In my opinion, IE now is still suffering from certain “child diseases” comparing to Firefox or Opera. Nevertheless, it’s market share is over 75% roughly. The reason behind it – it comes preinstalled with any Windows system, available immediately (while Firefox/Opera/Netscape requires additional knowledge and download) AND appeared (not anymore, though) as an picture captioned “Internet”. For some people (and I heard this myself), blue icon with word “Internet” and AOL browser were two totally different worlds. “And then my son came and put that Firefox internet on my computer, so which internet do you want me to go?”.

With both XP service pack 3 and Vista service pack 1 coming later on, I can’t help but think that one way or another Live Installer will land on everyone’s computer via service pack or somehow else. So Windows Live Installer is going to the computer near you – whether you want it or not.